“The 2013 weather continued the forage woes of U.S. dairy producers. The late-March warm-up in the upper Midwest, followed by freezing rain and then a major cold snap in early April, led to winterkill of alfalfa and ryegrass across large sections of central Iowa, through southern Minnesota, central Wisconsin and into central Michigan. This area represents nearly 20 percent of the U.S. dairy cow numbers. Several areas in Pennsylvania and New York also experienced small pockets of winterkill of alfalfa in key dairy areas. This weather severely decreased the acres available for first-cutting haylages and lowered first-cutting yields.”
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About the Author: Steve Massie
Steve Massie has over 30 years’ of experience in the dairy nutrition and management field. He grew up on a small, family farm with a diverse livestock operation including 120 dairy cows. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelors in Nutrition and a MS in Dairy Science with a nutrition emphasis. He is currently head of the Nutrition and Marketing Departments and covers the Midwest and Far-West supporting the Renaissance consultants in that geography.